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| Henrietta Lacks: Patron Saint of Science and Religion |
April 17, 2022 |
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As a consultant to the Smithsonian’s “Discovery and Revelation” exhibit, Dr. Myrna Sheldon, a historian of religion and science at Ohio University, wanted visitors to understand the direct impact science and religion have on individual lives. She singles out one object from the exhibit as instrumental in this – a life-size portrait of Henrietta Lacks by the artist Kadir Nelson. Mrs. Lacks was a Black woman with cervical cancer whose cells were harvested without her permission in the 1950s. Since then, they have helped doctors and scientists develop vaccines, cures, and breakthroughs. Sheldon describes the portrait – which is painted in the style of religious iconography and includes a bible and halo-like images – and what it illustrates about religion and science in American history. |
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